Jedi: What is their Overarching Purpose?

Question

The Sith have Grand Plans and the like, and in particular specific Sith all seems to have some overarching goals even if they do not always mesh perfectly with other Sith's goals.

The Jedi meanwhile do not really seem to be driven to complete some overarching design. They always talk about "bringing balance to the force"; Which to them means specifically kill everyone who uses the force in a way the Jedi don't like. But you do not even often see them actively hunting Sith, instead waiting for one to reveal itself and challenge them or waiting for "The Chosen One" to come and do it for them.

The Jedi have refereed to themselves as peacekeepers, but then they are also very obliviously warriors and specifically Yoda once said that a jedi should not even attempt to prevent the death of others. So they do not object to death, do they object to the chaos of war? Do they object to tyranny (anakin did not seem to think that a tyrant was antithetical to the jedi way, and Obi Wan did not use any jedi philosophy argument to argue with him about it)? Other than not wanting a Sith to rule the universe do they have a preference to how it is run?

They almost seem like they believe just letting whatever happens happen. It is the duty to kill Sith, if they know of one, but sometimes that seems to be as close as they seem to come to wanting to consciously shape events.

Do the Jedi have some overarching plan for the universe or even themselves? Or are they like some sort of extreme nihilist crossed with a Buddhist, who views shaping existence as an inherently evil or worthless affair?

Answer 1

The ultimate purpose of the Jedi Order can, I suggest, be discerned from the Jedi Code, somewhat akin to the Athanasian Creed, a five-line koan which represents their own (self-perceived) highest ideals:

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force.

This indicates that their highest ideals revolve around self-possession, scholarship, calm, harmony etc, hence all the talk about seeking balance in the Force, which first means seeking balance within oneself (which is why Yoda kept counselling Anakin to take control of his own wild emotions at first instance, when he kept worrying about his wife, the Council, the galaxy etc). It is similar to Taoist and Buddhist ideas of balancing the various forces within oneself - not a balance between Sith and Jedi or the Light and Dark sides of the Force (as some have suggested), since the Dark side would by definition be the result of an imbalance. Hence the Order's reclusiveness, austerity and emphasis on meditation and "sensing" things.

The overall goal of all this is greater and greater unity with the Force (cf. the saying "be one with the Force"), i.e. a Buddhist or Hindu-like quest for mystical union, which would finally result in transcendence - total absorption into the Force, as the last line indicates. (The Jedi also appear to believe that this merging with the Force also occurs at a Jedi's death.)

So where does this leave the rest of the universe? There is a famous Sanskrit saying, om mani padme hum, which likely influenced Lucas (given that he named a major character Padme!). This saying has many meanings, but basically asserts that the macrocosmos is an external reflection of the internal soul. In this context, it would mean that seeking balance within the external world is part of seeking balance within oneself, so as part of a Jedi's mission of transcendence, they would feel obliged to also bring balance, serenity, harmony, etc to those around them (filling the function of the Buddhist bodhisattvas). Hence, "guardians of peace and justice throughout the Galaxy". (Now whether or not they were any good at actually achieving this is another matter!)

Answer 2

Per the official databank blurb on the Starwars.com website (considered a canon source of info about the Star Wars universe);

Jedi Order:

A noble order of protectors unified by their ability to tap into the power of the Force, the Jedi Order were the guardians of peace and justice in the Galactic Republic.

Which strongly echoes Obi-Wan's speech to Luke in A New Hope:

For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.

So their primary purpose was to serve as galactic peacekeepers.